


Fits and Tantrums

by grayblebayble (orphan_account)



Series: Little! Paladins [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Non-Sexual Age Play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 19:29:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13724451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/grayblebayble
Summary: When Hunk is busy and Shiro wants attention, things go south fast.





	Fits and Tantrums

Shiro sat on the floor babbling to himself as he stacked his blocks. He was dressed in simple black footie pajamas with lion paws on the feet. Hunk peered over at him from his work bench and grinned.

“Having fun there, kiddo?”

Shiro giggled. “Play?” He held out a block.

“Papa’s really busy right now. But once I’m done we can play as much as you like, okay?”

“Kay!” He chirped, returning to his toys.

The sound of blocks softly clacking together partnered by the winding and whirring of machine was something like music to Hunk. He was surrounded by two of the things he loved most; kids and engineering. If only he could add the sizzling of a frying pan or the harsh chopping of vegetables into the mix; he would be in heaven.

“Hunk?” Pidge walked into the workshop. “How’s that part for the hyperdrive engine going?”

“Still working on it.” He furrowed his brows as he attempted screwing two pieces of metal together. “Man, I might need to weld this thing together. These bolts do not wanna hold.”

“Pidge!” Shiro beamed.

“Hey there, squirt!” She ruffled his hair. “What are you building?”

“Castle.”

Hunk grunted and leaned back in his chair, tossing his work back onto the table. “Yeah, I’m definitely gonna have to weld this. Could you take him to the training deck please? I don’t want him to get scared by all of the loud noises and sparks.”

“Sure.” She turned to Shiro “Alright squirt. Let’s pack up your toys and we can go play on the training deck. Besides, you can build a much bigger castle.”

Shiro sulked. “But I wanna stay with Papa.”

“Shiro, you heard him. You won’t want to stay in here when Hunk’s working with all that heavy machinery. And,” She whispered. “I know where he’s been hiding all the cookies.”

“Cookies?”

“Yeah. I’ll give you one if you pack up and come with me. Sound like a deal?”

He nodded. Pidge helped pack the blocks into a duffle bag and carried it out the door with Shiro tailing behind her. The kitchen wasn’t too far from the workshop, so it was a short walk.

“Will you grab out a plate while I go get the cookies?”

“Okay!” Shiro opened the cabinet and reached to grab a plate. Without thinking, he moved his arm and smacked three glass cups onto the floor. Each one shattered at his feet.

Shiro stiffened. His face turned pale. Rapid flashes of swords colliding and breaking apart played in his head like a movie or a dream. The smell of blood and death faintly tickled his nose. His hands began to tremor. Another wave of gore and bloodshed assaulted his mind.

A small whine escaped his throat. Tears suddenly overflowed like a river in the rain. He shuddered as he forced himself not to cry.

“Okay, squirt. I got–” Pidge halted. “Shiro?”

All hell broke loose as soon as he started howling. Pidge maneuvered her way over the shards and tried to calm him. She tried rubbing his back and giving him his pacifier; but Shiro was not having it.

“Pidge! What happened?” Lance scrambled into the kitchen.

“I don’t know!” She panicked. “I went to grab him a snack and when I came back he just started screaming.”

Shiro stood frozen in his spot, still blubbering with no sign of stopping. Lance sighed and stepped over the glass.

“Shiro? Shiro look at me.” Lance went to touch his face. Shiro swatted his hand away with another loud shriek. “Where’s Hunk? This is definitely a code crimson.”

“I’ll go get him. You stay here.” Pidge carefully walked past the mess then sprinted down the hall.

Shiro covered his face with his palms and sobbed. Lance realized that he was already in the midst of a panic attack by the way Shiro gasped for air. He knew now not to touch him but still tried to use his words to soothe him.

“Shiro,” Lance shushed him. “Listen to me. I know you didn’t mean to break anything. It’s not your fault and no one here is mad at you.”

Hunk rushed into the room, not bothering to be careful with the glass. There were more important things at hand.

“Thanks, man. I’ll take over from here.” Lance didn’t argue and stepped aside. “Hey little bear, it’s Papa.” He smiled warmly. “Can I pick you up?” Shiro paused, then latched onto him without a word. Hunk gently scooped him into his arms and started to sway. He ran a tender hand up and down Shiro’s back in a fluid, repeating motion.

Shiro continued to cry between fragments of what might have been words. His hand tightly clutched a part Hunk’s vest as he felt himself being carried out of the room. The lights slowly began to change from bright and fluorescent to a dim arctic blue as Hunk strolled through the Castle halls. Shiro was eased onto a fluffy surface. He was overwhelmed with hysteria as arms retreated from cradling him.

“It’s okay, little bear.” Hunk shushed him. “I’m just putting you down for a minute.”

Hunk went to the other side of the room to grab something. Shiro was left bawling as he floundered on his back. He just wanted Papa to come back. He was scared and didn’t want to be alone. Shiro worked himself up even more when he couldn’t sit up. He became more frustrated with the harder he tried to no avail.

A sweetly sung lullaby filled his ears. Shiro couldn’t quite comprehend the words, but the consistent melody was enough to keep him grounded. A pacifier was pressed against his mouth, which he took. His eyes fluttered from exhaustion. He allowed himself to shut them and melt into the mattress.

He felt Papa covered him with a blanket and rub his thumb over the back of his hand.

“Are you still awake?” He whispered.

Shiro was too sleepy to respond. He wasn’t even sure if Papa had actually said anything. He felt like his head had been compressed, then inflated; and now he was experiencing the aftermath.

“You must be exhausted, little bear. And man, I don’t blame you. I would’ve passed out too after having such a big temper tantrum.”

Shiro’s brain felt like mush. His thoughts were fuzzy, not clear like when he was big; and he was fine with that. He didn’t want to think, right now he just wanted to cuddle with Papa.

The door whooshed open and he heard footsteps approach the bed.

“Hey,” Keith muttered. “I heard what happened. How’s he doing?”

“He is out, man. He’s been like dead asleep for like five hours now.” Hunk whispered.

“Wow, he hardly ever sleeps that long.” Keith handed him something “Here, I brought him a bottle. Figured he might be hungry since he missed dinner.”

“Thanks. Did anyone figure out what happen?”

Keith sat on the bed. “Lance thinks he had a panic attack. Maybe after breaking the cups?”

Hunk paused. “Gosh, I should have worked on the parts later. None of this would have happened if–”

“Hunk, there’s nothing you can do to change what happened. All you can do is deal with the aftermath and hope it doesn’t happen again.”

Shiro grumbled as he fought to stay asleep

“Look, I think he’s waking up.”

Hunk stroked his cheek. “Hey, little bear. Are you hungry?”

Shiro’s eyes fluttered open. He blinked up at his Papa and cooed. Hunk and Keith looked at each other with concern.

“Has he ever gone nonverbal before?”

“No,” Hunk began to worry. “What do I do?”

“Just treat him like you would any other baby.”

“Yeah, but how much of a baby is he?”

Keith shrugged. “Just play it by ear, I guess.”

Hunk took Shiro into his lap and pressed the bottle to his lips. He was relieved when he began nursing. As quickly as he had started drinking, the bottle was nearly drained in only a few minutes.

“I’ll take this back to the kitchen. Let me know if you need anything.” Keith smiled.

“Thanks again.”

Hunk watched Shiro as he stared up at the ceiling. He noticed that his eyes held a child-like gleam in them; and he wondered when he had lost that. Shiro was always so busy taking care of everyone else, and it always felt good when anyone could do something to take care of him. Shiro huffed with teary eyes. He drew his hands to his mouth and suckled furiously on his finger.

“Come here.” Hunk took him and began to pace around the room. He shifted his hold to quickly check Shiro’s diaper. He frowned. “Did you have an accident, little bear?”

Shiro whimpered. There were no tears, but he was still very obviously distressed.

“Okay, let’s get you cleaned up then.” Hunk patted his back.

He quickly set up to get Shiro changed while still holding on to him. Hunk placed him on the changing mat and began to unstrap his pajamas. Shiro squirmed uncomfortably. He untaped the diaper and furrowed his brows when he saw Shiro’s irritated skin. Hunk began to clean him off and lather his lower half with rash cream. He tensed at the touch and sobbed.

“Oh, you’ve had a rough day, huh baby?” Hunk quickly disposed of the dirty diaper in exchange for a fresh one. He then cleaned his own hands with a baby wipe before bringing Shiro to his lap.

“Papa,” He mumbled.

“Papa’s got you, little bear.” Hunk soothed. “Papa’s got you.”


End file.
